Even with a laboratory project management Malaysia, oversight can still be an occurrence to you and your labmates. Plus, you might not have the time to manage your experiments some day, and you have to rely on your trusted employees to do the job.

If there are newbies fresh from the oven, it is even more crucial for the seniors to show them around the lab and teach them about the dangers that the lab can risk being exposed to if safety precautions aren’t correctly taken. Explanations alone aren’t enough, a minimum number of warning signs must also be included to clearly indicate specific hazards.

Flammable and oxidation

One of the most common signs in a lab would be a flammable and oxidizing sign, the former represented by flame hovering just above a line, while the latter is similar but as a flaming ball instead. Both signs are lumped together as one here because fire is their common hazard.

 A lot of flammable chemicals can easily catch fire, which isn’t so great if they happen to be spilled on the floor or a surface. 

Even when your lab is equipped with fire extinguishers, hoses and other fire safety equipment, the best way to contain a fire is to not start one at all, and this is done by safely storing your chemicals in separate storage spaces such as storage cabinets.

When utilizing flammable chemicals, never work them near oxidizing substances, sparks or fire. Oxidizing agents can transfer oxygen to those chemicals, causing them to burn. Because of this, it is crucial to store both types of substances away from each other.

Oxidizing chemicals can also set you and your clothing on fire if you aren’t careful enough. Always protect yourself with gloves, lab coats and eye protections prior to handling them.

Corrosion

Two test tubes dribble chemicals that burn off a solid black bar and a pair of hands. This is a corrosion symbol, and many acids and alkali in your lab can burn off your skin upon contact. If they get into your eyes, say goodbye to them because by this point, your eyeballs are corroding away from your sockets.

This is why eye protection is very essential, and you must never operate your lab without them, otherwise it deserves to be shut down. And your arrest for noncompliance of safety regulations. 

Eyewash stations are also necessary to wash chemicals out of your eyes in an emergency.

Toxic

Usually represented by a skull with crossbones, toxic symbols are also mandatory to be included in your lab because many chemicals are poisonous to inhale, swallow or absorb into your skin. Inhaling and absorption are the accidents that you will be more likely to get yourself into than swallowing. 

Plus why do you want to swallow any chemical at all? Thirsty? Curious?

Besides eye protection, gas masks are also necessary to protect your entire face from the poisonous fumes.

Speaking of fumes, a fume hood is a vital lab furniture to invest in as you will need it to work such chemicals inside behind the relative safety of glass.